Governor Training

The Governor Services Team aim to provide a comprehensive series of training courses to equip governors and trustees to carry out their roles effectively and enable them to strategically lead their schools and academies. The Governance Training Programme, which is produced annually, caters for those new to governance as well as those more experienced individuals who want to further their knowledge in a specialised area.

Courses are reviewed regularly to ensure that they reflect both national initiatives and changes in legislation and are scheduled at various times throughout the day and early evening to accommodate governors and trustees with work or family commitments.

Courses are open to all Bolton governors and trustees as we believe continued learning is vital in empowering them to confidently undertake their roles.

The leadership and management of schools has changed rapidly within recent years with an increased focus on governance and we therefore feel that even the more experienced governor and trustee will find sessions within the Governance Training Programme to suit their needs. The target audience for every session is clearly stated for event throughout the programme and online through the event pages.

In addition to the courses listed in the programme, the Governor Services Team can design, co-ordinate and deliver bespoke commissioned training courses specific to the needs of your board or local cluster of schools. Therefore all courses within the programme are available on a commissioned basis.

We hope you find that the courses within the programme cater for your needs; however, we would be more than happy to consider further topics for bespoke development or commissioned training.

How do I book on a course?

All courses within the Governance Training Programme can now be booked online via this website. This enables governors and trustees to reserve a place on any of the sessions available any time day or night.

You can view all sessions within the programme by selecting the Governance Training Programme 2016-17 page from the main menu. Further information on each course is available via this page; however, all events can be viewed and filtered via the Events page of the site.

We aim for the online system to be as user friendly as possible but if you do experience any difficulties or would prefer to talk to a member of the team about your booking, please contact the Governor Services Team course booking telephone line on 01204 334005. A voicemail service is available on this line out of office hours where you can record your booking requirements.

If you would like to discuss any aspects of the Governance Training Programme further or are interested in arranging a bespoke development or commissioned training session for your boar or cluster group, please contact the Governor Services Team on 01204 334005 or via email at governor.services@bolton.gov.uk

Governor E-Learning

Following feedback from our governing and trust boards, and in our attempt to make training more accessible, the Governance Services Team are pleased to offer all boards the chance to access online training. Bolton Governance Services has teamed up with the National Governors' Association to provide the online suite of e-learning opportunities at discounted rates.

The NGA Learning Link is an online training package provided for governors. It provides governors with a flexible way to access information and training.

It is important to note on-line training is not designed to replace face to face training, rather to complement the existing learning experience. On-line training can provide a brief introduction to a subject which will be developed upon, in a local context, at our full training sessions provided through the Governance Training Programme. It also provides access to training for those governors and trustees who may struggle, through personal or work commitments, to attend our centre based sessions.

If your school has signed up to Gold or Bronze of the Training Service Level Agreement, just go to:

and follow the instructions on how to register and access the online training.

If you are unsure whether your governing board purchases the online service or would like further information on how to purchase this, please contact Marie Foley via email at marie.foley@bolton.gov.uk or via telephone on 01204 332116.